1

The roundhouse crew at Eholt
Circa 1900
The Boundary

Credits:
Courtesy of Stanley Bubar

2

In 1900 a new sound could be heard in the Boundary region of southern BC - the sound of a train whistle, the sound of steam. The Columbia and Western Railway, owned and operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway, began service from the Kootenays. Midway was the western end of the line.

"In the late 1800's the mines of the West Boundary area were producing large quantities of low-grade copper ore, which required cheap transportation to market to be profitable. The CPR was anxious to forestall American railway builders and to reach this new lucrative market... They pushed ahead rapidly with the construction of the Columbia and Western Railway..."

3

The Columbia & Western linked the Boundary with the CPR mainline
1900-
Southern British Columbia

Credits:
Kettle River Museum

4

"...The route of the Columbia and Western Railway covers over 100 miles... The line runs from Trail northward to Robson, then up along the Columbia River to Dog Creek, to McCrae Creek, to Christina Lake, to Cascade City.

It follows the Kettle River to Grand Forks, then goes up the North Fork and Brown Creek to Eholt, with a spur line to the rich copper mines of Phoenix... a hustling, bustling railway town..."

5

The town of Phoenix as it once was - nothing remains today
1911
Phoenix, BC

Credits:
Greenwood Museum

6

The station yard at Eholt
Circa 1900
The Boundary

Credits:
Kettle River Museum

7

"...There was a station in Eholt, a spacious freight shed, a wye, a railway junction and a round house. As many as 15 locomotives and crews laid over in the town... "

8

The Columbia & Western station at Greenwood
Circa 1900
Greenwood, BC

Credits:
Kettle River Museum

9

"...thence down Eholt Creek to Boundary Creek, and on into Greenwood. Its station was a two-story building with living quarters. The coming of the railway opened up the mining potential of the Greenwood area. A branch line was run into the Mother Lode mine at Deadwood. The B.C. Copper Company began to build its smelter at Anaconda.

Boundary Falls, the next settlement on the line, also benefited from the arrival of steel. A gold stamp operated there briefly. A smelter was built, and a short spur of the railway carried ore to it from an aerial tramway terminal near Boundary Creek. There was a settlement with hotels, stores and a school..."

10

CPR Engine No. 409, near Greenwood on the Columbia & Western line
Circa 1900
The Boundary

Credits:
Courtesy of Stanley Bubar

11

Copper Street in Greenwood on Provincial election day
1900
Greenwood, BC

Credits:
Greenwood Museum

12

Columbia & Western whistle stop at Boundary Falls
Circa 1900
The Boundary

Credits:
Kettle River Museum
William C. Mitchell collection

13

"...Midway was the next and last stop along the way, the terminus of the Columbia and Western Railway. Besides its attractive location amid wide rolling hills at the junction of Boundary Creek and the Kettle River, with the coming of the railway it was booming... The railway reached Midway in 1899."

- from "A Brief History of the Railways in the Boundary Area" by Alice M. Evans and Glenda Keller, Boundary Historical Society 10th Report, 1984.

14

Approaching Midway - the last stop along the line
Circa 1900
The Boundary

Credits:
Kettle River Museum
William C. Mitchell collection